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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Truly, I had no clue that my subconscious brain was working on another Cherry Hill story, but this last week during my mother's pacemaker surgery and recovery (she's doing very well), another story popped up. In my last post, A Sentence A Day, I shared the sentences I've written for an exercise at the Forum. Hidden in those sentences was the kernel for a whole new story. ; )

I had thought about and worked on four possible Cherry Hill stories before that:

CONSUMING FIRE--about the prosecution of Samantha's abusers and a growing relationship between Laura Grace and Mack Singer

LINE OF FIRE--about Laura Grace's new family and the discovery of Mack's unknown son, a young Marine

HEART FIRE--about Samantha's children and the aging of her mother

Well, now I know there's a prequel to FRIENDLY FIRE. The working title is CAMP FIRE and it's about Laura Grace's first husband, Tom Chandler. The following sentences are the genesis of the story:

"Well, she’s pretty enough and has the Chandler coloring,” her silver
hair didn’t shift as she turned back to me, “but you know she’s not a real
Chandler, Laura Grace.”

The embossed ivory invitation was from the one address I'd hoped never
to see again, and the initials on the flap--HCC--made my stomach clench.

Over the years her eyes had faded to ice blue and now they looked on my
child with chilling disapproval.

Her perfume was the same--a mix of rose and gardenia--but with a subtle
addition I could only identify as old lady skin.

I had never faced her without Tom at my side, but now that my knight was
gone, I was on my own, and I was Samantha's only shield.

All of them describe Laura Grace's first mother-in-law, Hazel Cherry Chandler. I'm working on a scene for FRIENDLY FIRE in which Hazel meets Samantha. That's when I realized I had a story brewing about Hazel and her son Tom.

Here's a taste of what I've discovered:

"While the extravagant charity of the
Cherry and Chandler families is well known, Thomas, we do not practice it with
our marriage vows."

"My vows are charity only if you use the Biblical definition of the
word—love. But that wasn't what you were referring to, was it, Mother?"

The warmth of the flame consuming the pine limbs
spread up his arms and the tension wiring his shoulders taut eased, a sharp
contrast to the cold tone Mother had used to voice her displeasure of him and
his plans.

She was still spare and elegant, and so was the room.

FRIENDLY FIRE is still on the front burner and is 85% complete, but it's gratifying to know I'll never run out of something to say about my favorite family in Cherry Hill. ; )

About Me

Welcome to the Shade, where I push books on unsuspecting blog readers! Because I've always loved words and have written since I realized that the words I love were written by someone, I feel the need to share. Poetry, prose, lyric--it doesn't matter what form or genre. Words inspire, entertain, and enlighten. My writing explores many different forms--fiction, poetry, devotional literature, and history. So, settle in, get comfortable and prepare to find a good read. ;-)